Hitting rock bottom a decade ago was the catalyst for pastor and wellness coach Nevinne Brown to create Mothers Incorporated. The organisation is geared towards providing support, training and assistance to mothers and moms-to-be who may be struggling with life’s many complications.

Married at a tender age of 19, Brown’s life took a drastic turn when a traumatic event shattered her marriage, leaving her to navigate the tumultuous waters of single parenthood. Having never been on her own, as she had left directly from her parents’ house to her matrimonial home, being a single parent and juggling the vast amount of responsibilities that came with it weighed heavily on Brown.

Having three dependents— two daughters from her marriage and a nephew in his first year of university— was a struggle for Brown who had moved from a thriving double-income household to trying to get by on a single salary, which was often not enough as she would sometimes miss work due to her own trauma.

“I had a business and I couldn’t even go to work, I couldn’t do anything. I reached the stage when I couldn’t even pay my bills because we had to eat, since I was not going to work, to generate myself,” Brown told Observer Online.

“And I remember a major meltdown came one Friday evening, I was in the bathroom and one of the children said to me ‘mommy, JPS is here’. JPS (Jamaica Public Service) was cutting off the light and that was unbelievable because right behind them National Water Commission came. The two utility companies were in the yard at the same time,” she recounted.

“I just came out of the bathroom when I went to them so I had on a towel and the NWC man said to me ‘Lady what is happening to you?’ One of them ended up not disconnecting the service and we ended up making fun of it and put sheets and cushions in the living room so we could sleep because it was hot and there were no fans. But that was my new life in that period,” she added.

This was only a snippet of the many things Brown encountered in her season of survival. She explained that things further crumbled but no one in her circle was aware, not even at church where she kept up with her duties as associate pastor at Shiloh Apostolic and seemed to be doing well.

But while she was drowning in bills and trying to provide for her children, Brown was not aware of how much her kids were affected by all that was happening. It took one of her daughters showing signs of trauma and a friend overseas offering to take the child to get help, that Brown saw the opportunity to receive some assistance for herself as well.

“I am a Christian and I have a firm faith and belief in God and I was always praying, so I turned to God and I became more prayerful. I remember one day somebody overseas had said to me that they want to take my daughter over there to see if we can get some help for her and I was praying about it and the spirit of the Lord said ‘Why don’t you go?” Brown shared.

She took the trip, and in doing so escaped her harsh reality in Jamaica, and was enveloped in support from her church family in the United States. While there, she met up with her friend, a social worker, who showed her how women who experience various types of trauma and are struggling are supported.

“My friend was a social worker in the US and one day he took me to his office which was at this large apartment complex and he said this is the home that we give to parents who meet up on hard times.

They can come here with their children and we can keep them here for six months at a time— they can apply to stay longer— all their bills are paid, they get food and everything and he said during the days they can come down to his office, and he gets them into programmes so they can become independent. So they get training and development and gain independence as quickly as possible. And I think I would have needed something like that in Jamaica,” Brown said.

With the much needed break, and support she received in the US, Brown began to improve mentally. She slowly began regaining her independence, and returned to Jamaica where she restarted her business and got back on the road to recovery with her girls.

In a better place today than she was years ago, Brown wants to assist other mothers who are going through similar struggles and are unaware of where to receive help and support to make it through. So, she founded Mothers Incorporated earlier this year, with the organisation set to host its inaugural mothers summit, “Mothers Who Pray”, this weekend.

“It is two days; so on Friday we are bringing in all the different stakeholders in our society that offer any level of support to homes and to mothers. I have about 13 booth holders from Rise life, CPFSA (Child Protection and Family Services Agency), Parenting Association of Jamaica, National Council on Drug abuse, the psychotherapy unit at the University of the West Indies, Government ministries, a whole array of booths who are there to only tell you how they offer support,” Brown said.

She added that there will be counsellors and psychologists, both locally and internationally, who focus on mental health, education, and will be sharing tips on how to improve interactions within the home.

Brown said there will also be a psychologist from Trinidad & Tobago who will provide advice to fathers.

The daytime event will be streamed on the organisation’s YouTube platform, ‘Mothers Arise’.

“The Friday night and Saturday we will be taking it to a spiritual level so we will have a lot of empowerment speakers— spiritually empowering and otherwise— and we will be praying for the moms. It’s a chance for mommies to come to the altar, just lay out, and just cry out. It is going to be a safe space for you to lay down the burdens that you came there with. We won’t be streaming that section at all,” Brown stated.

Entry fee for the event, which is being held at Summit Kingston (formerly Knutsford Court Hotel) on Chelsea Avenue, is $9,000, ($4,500 for each day) and includes all meals.

Those in attendance will have a chance to receive one of 30 university scholarships being offered, grants to attend courses in phlebotomy, early childhood education, geriatric nursing and pediatric nursing and tablets. Those with health and eye problems will also get assistance and the glasses needed after the procedures are completed.

“I am in a ten thousand times better place now financially and every wise than when I was married, and I give all the glory to God. With me coming out of that space, remembering that there are other mothers who are dealing with that space now, I want to support them and pull another one over,” Brown said.